The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in a packaging machine wherein a vertical tube filled with a fluid food or like contents is divided into lengths each corresponding to one container to obtain intermediate containers, which are eventually made into rectangular parallelepipedal completed containers, the apparatus being adapted to adjust the level of the fluid or liquid to be filled into the tube to a predetermined level.
The conventional apparatus of the type mentioned above include one which comprises a vertical filling pipe covered with a packaging tube, a damper provided inside the filling pipe close to its lower end and pivotally movable upward or downward, an annular float fitted around the filling pipe upwardly or downwardly movably and positioned a small distance above the damper, and a connector connecting the movable end of the damper to the float. The upward or downward movement of the float opens or closes the level of a liquid filling the tube.
It is strongly required that recent machines for preparing aseptic products be antiseptic. To meet this requirement, the machine must be highly amenable to cleaning and sterilization, whereas the conventional apparatus described has the damper within the filling pipe and can not therefore be cleaned and sterilized efficiently. Especially, the pin supporting the damper for pivotal movement poses problems.